The present invention is directed to a quick connect/disconnect coupling, and more specifically, to a quick connect/disconnect hydraulic or pneumatic hose coupling that utilizes a diametrically expandable locking ring (such as a split ring) within a female coupling member to maintain a locking arrangement between the male and female coupling members, and a release mechanism that is designed to be easily actuated.
It is known to provide a hydraulic or pneumatic hose coupling assembly that includes a male coupling member and a female coupling member, where the male and female coupling members extend along a central axis and where a leading end of the male coupling member is adapted to be inserted and locked within the female member. Each of the male and female members includes an axial passage extending therethrough for the passage of fluids.
The male member includes an annular rib having a ramped leading edge and a trailing edge. The female member includes an annular groove positioned within its receiving cylindrical cavity with a tapered receiving-side edge. Within this annular groove is carried a split ring of spring metal material. Upon insertion of the male coupling member into the cavity of the female coupling member, the ramped leading edge of the annular rib on the male coupling member contacts the inner surface of the split ring, which causes the split ring to slide up upon the ramped leading edge and diametrically expand as the annular rib of the male coupling member advances through the split ring. Upon passing the trailing edge of the annular rib, the locking ring contracts again and is thus maintained in a locking position between the trailing edge of the annular rib and the receiving side edge of the annular groove in the female coupling member. To remove the male coupling member again from the female coupling member, a release sleeve, having an outer diameter larger than the maximum diameter of the annular rib, is axially slid between the male coupling member and the split ring to thereby diametrically expand the split ring again so that the rib of the male coupling member may pass again by this expanded split ring.
A disadvantage with this prior art coupling assembly is that the axial sliding of the release sleeve for disengaging the split ring requires awkward use of a tool to assist in gripping the sleeve and pulling it or pushing it axially along the male coupling member.
Accordingly, there is a need for such a coupling assembly that includes a release mechanism that may be easily actuated, with or without the assistance of tools.
One aspect of the present invention provides a coupling assembly that includes: (a) a female coupling member including a cavity opening onto the receiving end, where the cavity has an annular groove; (b) a male coupling member including an annular rib, where the rib has a tapered leading edge, a trailing edge and a maximum diameter between the leading and trailing edges, and where the male coupling member is sized for insertion into the cavity of the female coupling member so that the trailing edge of the annular rib is able to pass the receiving-side edge of the annular groove in the female coupling member; (c) a diametrically expandable locking ring carried in the annular groove of the female coupling member, where the locking ring has an unexpanded inner diameter that is less than the maximum diameter of the annular rib on the male coupling member, and where the locking ring is diametrically expandable to have an inner diameter that is at least slightly larger than the maximum diameter of the annular rib on the male coupling member; (d) at least one mechanical actuator carried on the male coupling member, positioned on a trailing edge side of the annular rib, adjacent to the trailing edge of the annular rib, and operable to project radially outwardly to a radial height at least equal to a radial height of the annular rib at the maximum diameter of the annular rib; (e) where the mechanical actuator may be actuated manually by hand or manually with the assistance of a tool.
Therefore, upon insertion of the male coupling member into the cavity of the female coupling member, the tapered leading edge of the annular rib on the male coupling member contacts an inner surface of the locking ring and causes the locking ring to diametrically expand as the annular rib passes through the locking ring. Upon passing the trailing edge of the annular rib, the locking ring contracts again and is maintained in a locking position between the trailing edge of the annular rib and a receiving side edge of the annular groove. To remove the male coupling member from the female coupling member, the mechanical actuator is activated so that the actuator projects radially outwardly and contacts the inner surface of the locking ring to cause the locking ring to diametrically expand again so that the annular rib of the male coupling member may be passed back again by the locking ring.
Preferably, the mechanical actuator includes at least one, and preferably a plurality, of mechanical levers operable to splay radially outwardly. Such levers may include a carrier mounted for rotation on the male coupling member on a trailing edge side of the annular rib and axially spaced from the annular rib, an outer cam surface on the male coupling member positioned axially between the trailing edge of the annular rib and the carrier, and extending in a circumferential direction from a first diameter that is substantially radially recessed with respect to the annular rib to a second diameter that approximates the maximum diameter of the annular rib, and a pin extending axially from a radial point on the carrier approximate the first diameter and extending over at least a portion of the outer cam surface. Therefore, upon rotation of the carrier the pin is caused to slide in a circumferential direction along the outer cam surface such that the outer cam surface acts as a fulcrum to splay the pin radially outwardly as the pin approaches the end diameter of the cam surface. The outer cam surface may be a substantially flat surface on a plane parallel to a tangent of the rotational axis of the carrier or may be a curved surface.
The carrier may be a manually rotatable dial that includes a textured circumferential surface to improve gripping by a user, so that the male and female coupling members may be decoupled by a user without the assistance of tools. Also, the carrier may be a rotatable dial adapted to engage with a tool, which may provide leverage to aid in the manual rotation of the carrier. The carrier may also include a lock incorporated therewith, which inhibits rotation of the carrier, and in turn, activation of the mechanical actuators, when locked. Consequently, such a tool may also include a key adapted to engage with a lock incorporated into the carrier, and thus, unlock the carrier to allow rotation of the carrier and activation of the mechanical actuators. In one embodiment, the lock may take the form of a freely rotatable, concentric ring encapsulating the dial, where the encapsulating ring includes a radial channel through which the key/tool can pass to engage with the dial. Thus, in such an embodiment, because the encapsulating ring is freely rotatable with respect to the dial, one would not be able to rotate the dial without the tool.
The mechanical actuator may also be characterized as including: (a) a carrier mounted for rotation on the male coupling member on a trailing edge side of the annular rib and axially spaced from the annular rib; (b) a cylindrical segment of the male coupling member positioned axially between the trailing edge of the annular rib and the carrier, where the cylindrical segment has an outer diameter approximate the maximum diameter of the annular rib, the cylindrical segment of the male coupling member includes a plurality of substantially flat, outer cam surfaces cut or formed therein and uniformly distributed about a circumference of the cylindrical segment, and where each of the outer cam surfaces extends generally tangentially from a minimum diameter that is substantially radially recessed with respect to the annular rib to the outer diameter of the cylindrical segment; and (c) a plurality of pins corresponding to the plurality of outer cam surfaces, where each pin extends axially from a respective radial point on the carrier, approximate the minimum diameter, and extending over at least a portion of the respective outer cam surface, where the pin is either radially pivotable or flexible with respect to the radial point on the carrier. Therefore, upon rotation of the carrier, the pins are caused to slide in a circumferential direction along their respective outer cam surfaces such that they splay radially outwardly as they approach the outer diameter of the cylindrical segment. Such radially outward splaying of the pins, in turn, applies pressure to the inner surface of the locking ring to cause the locking ring to diametrically expand.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a coupling assembly that includes: (a) a female coupling member including a cavity opening onto its receiving end, where the cavity has an annular groove; (b) a male coupling member including an annular rib, where the rib has a tapered leading edge, a trailing edge and a maximum diameter between the leading and trailing edges, and where the male coupling member is sized for insertion into the cavity of the female coupling member so that the trailing edge of the annular rib is able to pass the receiving-side edge of the annular groove in the female coupling member; (c) a diametrically expandable locking ring carried in the annular groove of the female coupling member, where the locking ring has an unexpanded inner diameter that is less than the maximum diameter of the annular rib on the male coupling member, and where the locking ring is diametrically expandable to have an inner diameter that is slightly larger than the maximum diameter of the annular rib on the male coupling member; (d) a dial carried for rotation in the male coupling member, where the dial is adapted for gripping by a human hand or where the dial is adapted for engagement with a tool; and (e) a mechanical actuator carried on the male coupling member operatively coupled to the dial such that the mechanical actuator extends radially outwardly with respect to the male coupling member upon rotation of the dial in a first direction, to a radial height at least approximately equal to a radial height of the annular rib at a maximum diameter of the annular rib, and retracts inwardly with respect to the male coupling member upon rotation of the dial in an opposite direction. Accordingly, upon insertion of the male coupling member into the cavity of the female coupling member, the tapered leading edge of the annular rib on the male coupling member contacts an inner surface of the locking ring, which causes the locking ring to diametrically expand as the annular rib passes through the locking ring. Upon passing the trailing edge of the annular rib, the locking ring contracts again and is maintained in a locking position between the trailing edge of the annular rib and the receiving side edge of the annular groove. The male coupling member may be removed again from the female coupling member by rotating the dial in the first direction so that the mechanical actuator projects radially outwardly and contacts the inner surface of the locking ring, causing the locking ring to diametrically expand again so that the annular rib of the male coupling member may pass again by the locking ring.
In the exemplary embodiment, the mechanical actuator includes a pin that is operable, upon rotation of the dial in a first direction, to splay radially outwardly. With such a pin in this exemplary embodiment, the mechanical actuator includes a cam surface axially positioned between the annular rib and the dial, where the cam surface extends in a circumferential direction from a first diameter that is substantially radially recessed with respect to the annular rib to a second diameter that approximates the maximum diameter of the annular rib. For the purposes of this disclosure, the second diameter will xe2x80x9capproximatexe2x80x9d the maximum diameter when the radial distance between the two is equal to the diameter (or radial width if not cylindrical) of the pin. The dial rotates about a central axis of the male coupling member and the pin extends axially from a radial point on the dial approximate the first diameter, and extends over at least a portion of the cam surface. Therefore, upon rotation of the carrier, the pin is caused to slide in a circumferential direction along the cam surface from the first diameter towards the second diameter, which in turn causes the pin to splay radially outwardly as the pin approaches the second diameter.